After the Sacred Fire Ceremony ended, Yong hurried away down the steps. Spectators in the surrounding stands waved to him from time to time.
The boy gave a modest smile, and his figure soon disappeared from the spectators' view.
Only Mr. Lucian remained on the large screen overhead. His voice rang out clearly through the venue's speakers.
"This year's Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference officially begins!"
"Woooo!!!"
Mr. Lucian let the enthusiastic cheers ring out, waiting a moment before raising his hand for quiet and continuing.
"The rules for this conference remain largely unchanged! Every competitor who has reached the main tournament has undergone rigorous selection and assessment to be here! I hope you'll all show your strength in the coming matches and give everyone fair battles that leave no regrets!"
"One point deserves special mention! Starting with this conference, our latest battlefields have been fully upgraded! As such, highly destructive moves such as Earthquake and Fissure may now be used! There are no restrictions!"
"Another equally important point: starting with this conference, the Pokémon League will abolish the reward system that places the top four competitors on the reserve roster! From now on, only the champion! Only the conference's first-place finisher will earn the right to challenge the Elite Four directly!"
Mr. Lucian looked at the calm ranks of competitors below, inwardly pleased with their reaction.
"Excellent! It seems you're all ready!"
"Then I look forward to your performances..."
The screen went black, and the announcer's voice rang out again.
"Now, I officially declare the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference open! All competitors, please return to the competitor lounges. Follow the randomly selected pairings and battlefield assignments on the screens and proceed to the corresponding one of our three secondary venues for the preliminaries! Spectators